Science it's a girl thing

[thestrangequark]

Ridiculous.

If someone needs to see sexy women or expensive high heel shoes on a commercial in order to become interested in science (or anything)... I... don't even know what to say.

"Why did you become a scientist?"
"Oh, there was this commercial with models and lipstick..."

Yeah right.

I can't say how I'd react if I was still a teenage girl and saw the ad. I imagine if I was between the ages of 14-17 I would have reacted just as you did. At that time I was embracing what I thought was feminism; I wore only sandals, and never put on make-up because I thought it was stupid. However, I'd already been damaged by the false dichotomies that I still feel are informing much of the negative reaction: I'd already lost interest in science when it had once been my passion, and I wouldn't rediscover it until university, and I'd made up my mind that girly-ness and fashion were shallow and superficial.

I wonder, though, if I'd seen it as a preteen, if I would have embraced the positive message...that being a girly girl isn't incompatible with being a scientist.

In any case, I think the discussion in this thread shows that it is a far more complicated, and more personal issue than someone "needing" sex and heels to get them interested in science.

 

[bbailey861]

Well, my oldest daughter (31), is a scientist (micro-immunologist)so I am going to send her this link and see what she has to say. My youngest daughter (18), starts college this September (not a science program) - and I am going to get her opinion as well. I shall report back.

 

[Lumi]

Ridiculous.

If someone needs to see sexy women or expensive high heel shoes on a commercial in order to become interested in science (or anything)... I... don't even know what to say.

"Why did you become a scientist?"
"Oh, there was this commercial with models and lipstick..."

Yeah right.

I can't say how I'd react if I was still a teenage girl and saw the ad. I imagine if I was between the ages of 14-17 I would have reacted just as you did. At that time I was embracing what I thought was feminism; I wore only sandals, and never put on make-up because I thought it was stupid. However, I'd already been damaged by the false dichotomies that I still feel are informing much of the negative reaction: I'd already lost interest in science when it had once been my passion, and I wouldn't rediscover it until university, and I'd made up my mind that girly-ness and fashion were shallow and superficial.

I wonder, though, if I'd seen it as a preteen, if I would have embraced the positive message...that being a girly girl isn't incompatible with being a scientist.

In any case, I think the discussion in this thread shows that it is a far more complicated, and more personal issue than someone "needing" sex and heels to get them interested in science.

Well, I've never been offended by makeup and have always been "girly". I guess I just think that if a girl (or boy) is going to develop an interest in science, they will on their own. It won't have anything to do with adverts (or models )... more than likely it will be what they are learning at school or in books that gets their attention.

Then again, who really knows? I don't really remember what it's like to be a preteen, but I'm pretty sure I would have felt this was just as silly back then.

 

[Balrog]

Ripped off:

"Hey baby if i supply the voltage and you a little resistance, imagine the current we can make together. (V=IR => (V/R)=I)"

 

[bbailey861]

Well, my oldest daughter (31), is a scientist (micro-immunologist)so I am going to send her this link and see what she has to say. My youngest daughter (18), starts college this September (not a science program) - and I am going to get her opinion as well. I shall report back.

As promised, here are the unedited responses, from my girls, in the order I received them.

From the youngest:

To be truthful I don't think the ad was informative at all. It's true that it was stereotypical (the make up, the pink, the fashion) it didn't portray that woman are smart intelligent creatures of this world who don't need those things too study whatever they please . If you are trying to inform girls to become scientist or to study science why include those aspects of girls lives. It was irrelevant to the message they were sending. I also don't know if I approve of marketing the ad as " It's a girls thing". It's doesn't matter if you are a woman or a man, black or white, tall or short ANYONE is capable of studying science it's just a matter of if they are interested and enjoy the subject.

From the oldest:

Ok Dad, here's what I've got,

The video is ridiculous. Everything about the video is misleading. If this is what the powers that be think they need to advertise to entice young women into science, they are truly clueless. Besides that, there are more women in science now then ever before, more women in university then men in fact.

A. You don't touch anything in a lab without gloves..unless a piece of equipment, i.e a computer states "no gloves"
B. No one wears clothes like that in a lab! There are guidelines, close toed, and sometimes steel toed shoes/boots. LAB COATS are a must, unless you like ruining your party dresses with bleach. However, if you chose to wear a dress, you MUST have tyvek pants on underneath, not only to protect you, but possible contamination you may bring in on your skin. I could go on and on......
C. Why are the young women depicted as girlie girls in this ad? I am not saying you can't be a girlie girl, but there is a place and time for that, which is not in a lab!!!

If women were a part of making this ad, it makes me very sad. Science is wondrous, exciting, heartbreaking, groundbreaking, work. It is an ever unfolding mystery, and does not deserve to be showcased as a "sexualized party" As I began watching the ad, I thought, is this a joke? Nope, in fact it seems that someone thought this was a good idea, and who knows, maybe it works for younger women, but for me, and I am sure many other women in science like me, it is a joke. I could make a WAY better ad, as I am sure most anyone could.

Funny though, seeing this video prompted me to check out their website, and there are some interesting things on it.

what is that saying, there is no bad press

 

[thestrangequark]

^Funny...your older daughter straight out said that the lab isn't the place to be a girly girl, which is exactly the false dichotomy I've been talking about. A lot of girls completely identify as "girly girls" and so see science as something closed to them, because of the attitude that feminine does not equal serious/intelligent/scientific.

She's right that there are more women in university than men, and there are even more women in certain scientific fields (particularly medicine), than men. However, there is still a massive gender gap in the sciences as a whole. And what's more serious is the massive gender gap between younger boys and girls when it comes to science and math.

I agree with her that the "It's a girl thing" line isn't very good at all.

 

[MacLeod]

Could part of the problem be that as an EU ad it would have been designed to work in the 27 EU nations. So it might be more effective in some of those rather than say the UK.